Blunt wants to cut the budget yet spend billions on military jets

St. Louis Post Dispatch Letter to the Editor
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Sen. Roy Blunt’s column (“Preserve St. Louis-built fighter jet innovations for our troops,” Nov. 1) was obviously written to gain support for building more F/A-18 military aircraft. He indicates that the Pentagon may not want or need this airplane. He rightly points out that the Boeing Co. is one of the largest employers in the St. Louis area. It is also true that Boeing employees are well-paid with multiple job benefits that pump a lot of money into the St. Louis region.

However, Sen. Blunt is a conservative Republican who advocates a smaller government and less government spending. My tax dollar and the tax dollars of all Americans are used to fund the production of these airplanes. The cost of each of these airplanes is high, to say the least. How can Sen. Blunt call for cuts in the federal budget yet call for spending billions on an aircraft that the Pentagon may not want?

Why not call for additional spending to repair the deteriorating and potentially dangerous bridges in Missouri? How about the billions that are needed to upgrade and repair old crumbling sanitary sewer mains? How about the families with children who are no longer able to receive food stamps at a time when the food pantries are running out of food to distribute?

Harold W. Kerr  •  Wright City